


The Sound of Silence

by Eicartgeorge



Series: It's Just a Matter of Time [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Other relationships exist, Prequel, Sequel, Stydia, They are mostly background, This is probably really sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-01 09:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8619499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eicartgeorge/pseuds/Eicartgeorge
Summary: Before Stiles and Lydia were transported to the future, Future Lydia tried to fix it all herself. And before that, she lost everyone she loved. 
Prequel to It's Just a Matter of Time. (It may make more sense to read that first though, but if you want to read this one first, that works too.)





	1. Hello Darkness My Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> So, I am back from vacation and I'm going to start posting this prequel! Some parts may seem familiar because this takes place in the timeline that Elbie and future Lydia came from. After I finish posting this one, I'll start posting the sequel that is currently still being written, so when we get there, those chapters will not come very quickly at all- just a warning. On the bright side, this one is only 8 chapters long.
> 
> **03232018** -Month, Day and Year...in this case March 23, 2018.
> 
> **San Francisco, Ca.** \- General area of where scene is taking place.
> 
> **1711 Hours** -Time in military time, in this case 5:11 p.m.
> 
> **Scott, Kira, Stiles, and Lydia's House** -The specific area in which the scene is taking place.
> 
> In It's Just a Matter of Time, they were in their second semester of senior year in 2016. All dates are based on that. Keep an eye on the dates. As of right now, they are in chronological order, but once I've posted everything that I've written, if I get requests or if I get inspired, I may post other drabbles about this timeline.

_**03232018** _

_**San Francisco, Ca.** _

_**1711 Hours** _

_**Scott, Kira, Stiles, and Lydia's House** _

Stiles chewed on the tip of his pen, a notebook and a laptop sitting in front of him on the kitchen table. He peered over the top of his screen and saw Lydia typing madly. He groaned.

"What is it, Stiles?" She asked, almost bored, never stopping her fingers from flying over the keyboard.

"I don't know what to write."

"What happened to Ted Bundy?"

Stiles sighed. "I lost interest."

"Then what about the Boston Strangler? I mean, that De Salvo guy confessed, but whether or not he did it has been wildly debated. There's also Jeffrey Dahmer, Son of Sam, Lizzie Borden."

Stiles groaned. "I don't know. None of these seems as cool as Jack the Ripper."

Lydia sighed. "Do you want Jack the Ripper?"

"No. Because if I take it, then I'll find a reason to not like it."

"Well, at least you're aware that you're an idiot."

"Hey, I resent that!" Stiles groaned again. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the table and looked around the room, as if hoping to draw inspiration from something. His eyes landed on a picture of him, Scott, Lydia, and Allison. Next to that picture, Allison had been replaced by Kira. It was taken on the day they all moved in to this house. Scott and Kira shared the master, while Stiles and Lydia each had their own room. He wondered, if Allison were still here, would the four of them have lived together? It was true that Scott and Allison were not together at the time of her death, and she and Isaac seemed to have something going, but, that didn't mean they couldn't all live together. As he stared at the brunette, he had a thought.

"Why did you insist on taking this class with me?"

"I needed a PolySci credit for my major. Remember? And don't you love having a study partner?"

"Well, yeah. But, I mean, there are so many other classes you could have taken for your credit. Why this one?"

Lydia finally stopped typing and closed her laptop with a sigh. "What is this about, Stiles?"

He closed his laptop as well and leaned forward. "It's about you telling the truth."

They stared at each other for several moments before Lydia bit her lip. "Okay, fine. We finished all of our gen ed classes and I..." She sighed. "I wasn't ready to stop having classes with you."

Stiles eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, really! Stiles, we've been in the same classes since elementary school! I took that advanced math class last semester and as I sat there I realized that every college class I take from then on was going to be just like that: Boring and best friendless."

"Awe. Lydia Martin cares."

Lydia picked up a pencil and threw it at him. "Of course I care, you dork."

"Well, then let's vow, right now. We'll take at least one class together each semester. And we'll make it fun, like bowling or ballroom dancing."

"Ballroom dancing?" She asked as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Hey, I know a thing or two about ballroom dancing."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Okay, fine. Now you'll never know." Stiles lifted his screen again and began to tap on the keys.

Lydia lifted hers as well and read back over the last thing she had written. "What did you decide on?"

"I don't know. I was thinking maybe Kate Argent."

"Seriously?" She asked, lowering the screen but not closing it completely.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I feel like I have an advantage being a first-hand witness to her family's craziness. And I mean, as much as we talk about what our lives would be like without the supernatural, it's what we know. And don't they always say 'Write what you know'? I mean, isn't that why you're writing about Jack the Ripper?"

Her eyes widened slightly, "How did you-"

He looked down at her notebook, and her eyes followed and saw where she had written: _Jack the Ripper-werewolf?_

"I'm observant." Stiles gasped as he remembered something and grabbed his phone out of his pocket.

"Who are you calling?"

"Argent. I'm going to have so many primary sources for this paper." He said giddily, then stood up from the table and grabbed his notebook and pen.

She raised her screen again and readied her fingers to type when she heard Stiles say, "Hey, Chris! Buddy! It's Stiles! Stiles Stilinski...Well _of course_ you only know one Stiles...I'm like Tigger, I'm the only one." He turned to face Lydia and gave her a thumbs up and she just shook her head. "So, listen..." He walked away, probably toward his room.

"Finally," she mumbled, and read back over her last sentence. _Mary Kelly was found on the morning of you're in love with him. Stop denying it._ Lydia's eyes widened and she re-read the last line over again. No, it was actually there. She wasn't seeing things, she had actually typed it. Quickly she erased it just as she heard his door open. He walked in and flashed her a smile as he continued talking on the phone while he was looking for something. Lydia felt her insides melt. "Shit."

_**06022020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1516 Hours** _

_**Stiles's Apartment** _

Stiles was sitting on the couch in his newly leased one-bedroom apartment, his very own bachelor pad. After the freedom of being out of his father's house while he was in college, Stiles knew he wasn't going to stay there long once he graduated. He had kind of always thought he and Scott would get a place, but then Scott and Kira decided to move in together, and then he had to start looking for one-bedrooms instead of two. He ended up finding a perfect one bedroom, that was close to work and it didn't hurt that Scott and Kira had leased an apartment in the same complex.

The couple had been living in their place for a little over two weeks, while Stiles moved into the apartment below theirs the day before. It was late by the time Scott had helped him move all of the furniture and boxes into the first floor apartment, and Stiles had gone to bed without unpacking anything. When he woke up the next day, he quickly realized he had no food. He also quickly realized he had no desire to start unpacking boxes so he made a trip to the grocery store.

When he left the apartment, it was cloudy and overcast, and by the time he returned it was starting to thunder. Thankfully, he was able to get everything inside before the skies broke loose. After putting all of the bags of groceries away, he felt super accomplished, but then he turned around and looked at all of the boxes piled up in the living room. He decided that he would start going through them, and at least put them in the room they were supposed to be in.

The first few boxes were clothes and those went into his room, then there were dishes that he moved to the kitchen. He still had seven boxes that needed to be moved when he opened the one that held his Xbox, and things only went downhill from there.

He hooked up his television and his gaming system, found his games (decided to "organize" them), then popped a game in "just to make sure everything worked properly." That was two hours ago and he was still sitting there playing the game. Suddenly, there was a bright bolt of lightning and loud clap of thunder and the power went off.

Stiles sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Kira?" He yelled.

Faintly he heard, "That wasn't me! I swear!"

He chuckled and stood up to walk back over to the boxes he hadn't touched (he was pretty sure there were candles and a lighter in one) when he heard a knock on the door. Stiles looked back at the door, confused. "Kira?" He asked, then chuckled again as he walked toward it. "Kira, I know that wasn't you. It was just a joke." He opened the door and it wasn't Kira. "Lydia?" The banshee was sopping wet from head to toe, and her mascara was smudged down her face, although Stiles wasn't sure if it was because of the rain or if she had been crying. She was looking off to the side and not making eye contact. "Hey, come inside. Get out of the rain." He told her. She didn't move. "Lyd-"

"My mom's dead." She said, as if she couldn't believe it. Finally, she looked up at Stiles. If she had been crying, she wasn't crying now. His mouth was open slightly, hand still on the door, and he didn't know what to say. They stared at each other for a moment before Lydia finally walked inside the apartment.

"Uh...umm." Stiles stammered as he closed the door behind him. "Wh..what happened?"

"They...they think she had a stroke and fell down the stairs."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I can't find my phone. I think it's in my car." She told him innocently. Stiles was pretty sure that she was in shock.

"Oh...So, you walked here?" She nodded. It was a beat before Stiles realized Lydia had been dripping water all over his new bachelor pad. "Hey, let's get you into something dry."

She nodded and followed him into his room. He found a t-shirt and some sweatpants and handed them to her. She took them, but didn't move. He stood there awkwardly. "The uh... the bathroom is right that way..."He pointed. "I'll just leave the room and let you get dressed." Stiles got back into the living room and pulled out his phone, sending Scott a quick text.

'Lydia's here. Her mom died. I think she's in shock.' Stiles had barely put the phone back into his pocket when he got Scott's reply.

'OMG! Do you you need me?'

Stiles shook his head then realized Scott couldn't see that. 'No. We're okay. I'll let you know though. If your mom is still at the hospital, you may want to let her know where she is. Lydia doesn't have her phone. They're probably looking for her.'

'Okay.'

Stiles suddenly heard loud sobs coming from his bedroom and he ran in. Lydia was on her knees, holding herself as she rocked back and forth. The only thing she was wearing was Stiles's shirt.

"Hey," He knelt down next to her and began to rub soothing circles on her back. Lydia leaned her head against Stiles's shoulder.

"She's gone, Stiles."

"I know." After a long time of Lydia sobbing into Stiles's shoulder, she had fallen asleep. Stiles lifted her off the ground and laid her down onto his bed, figuring he would let her sleep while he went back to the boxes. He had made it to the door before he heard her voice.

"Stiles?"

"Yeah, Lyd?"

"Don't leave...just...can you...can you hold me?" Stiles didn't say anything, he just slowly walked back over to the bed. He climbed in and Lydia turned onto her side to face away from him. He laid down on his side the same way she did, and draped an arm around her. She grabbed his hand in hers and shimmied as close to him as she could get. He was so focused on her, that he didn't even have time to remember that she was in only his shirt.

With the steady beat of the rain against the window it wasn't long before they were both asleep.

So much for unpacking.

* * *

When he woke up, Stiles looked at his phone and saw that he had a few missed texts from Scott and a missed call from Melissa. All of them basically saying that Lydia had to sign a few forms to release her mother to a funeral home.

Lydia was still asleep and he wasn't about to wake her up to tell her that, so he quietly got up and left the room.

"Hey, Stiles." Melissa answered quickly when he called her back.

"Hey, Melissa." He kept his voice low.

"How is she?"

"Well, she walked to my apartment in the pouring rain and then broke down on my bedroom floor. She's been asleep for a couple of hours. I don't have the heart to wake her up."

Melissa sighed on the other end of the line. "I understand. As soon as she wakes up though, we really need her back here."

"Yeah, I get it."

Half an hour later, Lydia woke up and he gently explained that they had to go back for her to sign the forms and at least get her phone, but she was in no condition to drive. They stopped by her house to grab clothes as well because Lydia didn't want to be there alone, and Stiles wasn't about to let her out of his sight when she was in such a fragile state. Scott and Kira wanted to help somehow, so they went to the hospital and drove Lydia's car back.

Stiles helped her plan the funeral, and little by little, Lydia brought more and more of her things over to Stiles's apartment. A month had passed and Lydia insisted on splitting the rent. When talking to their friends they always referred to the place as Stiles's apartment, but they both secretly knew it was _theirs_.


	2. I've Come to Talk With You Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I re-read this entire story the other day after I posted the first chapter, and there were lines that I used that made me think of season 6. Even though I wrote this in May-July.

_**08212020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0234 Hours** _

_**Stiles's Apartment** _

"Lydia?" She heard Stiles voice. There was screaming coming from somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where. All of a sudden, she realized it was _her_. She opened her eyes and closed her mouth, then looked over in the bed next to her at Stiles who had worry written all over his face. She realized her face was wet with tears and she wiped her cheeks with her hand. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah I'm...I'm fine. I don't know why I was screaming."

He blew out a puff of air he had been holding in. "It must have been a nightmare." Lydia started to nod, when she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What? What was that?" Stiles asked her.

"Something's wrong."

Stiles reached his hand toward his phone, right as it began to ring.

"Hello?" He answered without even taking the time to see who was calling. "Dad?" Stiles was silent for a moment as he listened to his father on the other end. Lydia watched him carefully. "Yeah. I'll let them know." Stiles gave a defeated sigh. "Yeah, I love you too."

"Stiles?" Lydia questioned when he hung up.

"Um... My dad said that there's a new creature in town. It's pretty powerful. Jordan went after it and he..."

Stiles didn't have to finish his sentence. Lydia understood. Parrish was dead.

* * *

_**10152020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1925 hours** _

_****Warehouse** ** _

"Kira, no!" Lydia shouted. It had all happened so fast and suddenly the creature was disappearing around a corner. Lydia ran to her friend's side. "You're not healing!" Lydia could feel sobs rising up in her chest. She kept looking up and around, to see if any of her friends were there. Particularly Stiles. She needed Stiles.

"Lydia, you have to go." Kira croaked out.

"I'm not leaving you." Lydia told her as tears dripped from her chin.

"Lydia!" Stiles called, and she could hear him running toward them. She took a deep breath, but suddenly realized that Kira was on the verge of death. Her body shook and the banshee could feel energy building up inside the kitsune and a scream building up in her own throat.

"Stiles, stay back!" Lydia yelled to him, and she heard his footsteps stop.

"Kira?" He whispered, but in the warehouse, it echoed.

"Where's Scott?" Lydia asked.

"I-I-I don't know. I...I can't find him." Scott and Liam had arrived at the warehouse first and Stiles, Lydia, and Kira came after them. It was Stiles's job to find the wolves, but instead he found the girls.

Slowly, the light in Kira's eyes went out. Lydia felt the energy that left her friend's eyes building up in her hands. She let out a scream just as Kira's entire body went up in foxfire flames, and Lydia flew backwards. It was like a bomb going off.

Stiles was knocked out for a moment. When he woke up, Liam was shaking him and he could just hear a ringing in his ears. Slowly, it all came back to him.

"Lydia!" He said as he quickly got up, slightly disoriented and knocking Liam to the side.

He scrambled over to her. She was still breathing, but she wasn't coming to. Stiles looked up at Scott and saw him kneeling over Kira's body. His shoulders convulsed in sobs. Stiles knew there was nothing they could do for Kira, but he needed to get Lydia out of there and to the hospital.

Apparently, he said that out loud because he heard Liam say, "While you're there, you should get checked out too."

"Don't worry about me." Stiles told him and picked Lydia up. "Scott?"

Scott shook his head. "She's gone." Stiles knew he needed to get Lydia out of there, but he was also afraid to leave the alpha . Scott shook his head again. "Get Lydia out of here. I'll... I'll call Argent."

"I'll stay with Scott." Liam said.

"Liam," Scott began. "You should go with Stiles." He said it with a tinge of hostility.

Liam stared at his alpha, well at the back of his head, since Scott never took his eyes away from Kira.

"Come on, Liam." Stiles said and coaxed the beta out of the warehouse.

* * *

_**10172020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1245 hours** _

_****Beacon Hills Memorial** ** _

Lydia could hear a steady beeping. It felt like something was in her arm, there was a dull pain in her head, and her hand felt sweaty. Was someone holding it? As the neurons in her brain slowly began to fire, the first thing she was able to do was squeeze the hand holding hers.

She heard a small gasp and felt the person jump. "Lydia?" It was Stiles. Of course it was Stiles. If it wasn't, she would have been disappointed.

After several moments, she was able to force her eyes open. The room was dark, but she clearly recognized it as Beacon Hills Memorial. The only light was coming from the windows, but the blinds and curtains were closed, so it wasn't a lot.

"God," She croaked out. "I hate hospitals."

She heard Stiles give a sigh of relief, and she finally turned to face him. She could tell he had been crying, but she wasn't sure why. He lifted her hand and kissed it.

"God, Lydia, I was so scared." She noticed that his red eyes were beginning to water and heard his breaths become shaky.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm okay."

She heard him sniffle. "It's just, I ...If I would have lost you, I...I would've..." He trailed off.

"Gone out of your freaking mind?" She offered.

He gave a small laugh. "Yeah." He sniffed. "Yeah, I would." She smiled softly and looked around the room. There were a few scattered flowers, and it was a sad reminder of how many of their friends were gone. "Do you remember what happened?" Stiles asked.

Lydia closed her eyes and remembered holding Kira's hand while the kitsune was laying on the ground in front of her. She could feel time running out and Scott was on the other side of the warehouse.

She opened her eyes again. "Kira's dead." She looked at Stiles, who confirmed with a sad nod. "How's Scott?"

"Not good." Stiles told her. "He's blaming himself for not being there. Liam feels terrible because Scott was with him. Malia's upset because Scott wouldn't let her come in the first place. We're falling apart...again."

Lydia nodded sadly. "How long have you been here?"

"Just as long as you have. Two days."

"You haven't gone home in that time?"

"I wanted to be here when you woke up. I didn't want you to be alone."

Lydia smiled sadly. "Thank you."

Stiles nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand. "I should let someone know that you're awake. I'll be right back."

* * *

_**10212020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1453 hours** _

_****Beacon Hills Cemetery** ** _

Lydia held Stiles's hand as they stood at Kira's graveside. Scott stood on the other side of Stiles looking awful. He was wrecked, obviously. Stiles told her a few days ago that Scott was about to propose and never got the chance. The ceremony was short and small. Isaac, Derek and Braeden all came back for the funeral and had decided that they were going to stick around Beacon Hills for awhile. The pack needed as many members as possible since the only people left were Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Liam, and Malia. Lydia still remembered when it was just the five of them and Kira, but they'd gained so many members and lost them all since then, that five just didn't seem like enough.

After the funeral, the group of them were waiting by their cars deciding on what to do next. Scott was still lingering by Kira's grave.

"I'll go talk to him." Lydia said, and walked away from the group and toward the alpha. "Hey."

"Hey." He said not really making eye contact with the banshee. Lydia realized suddenly that she hadn't really had a conversation with Scott since she'd woken up several days ago.

"I know this is a stupid question, but how are you doing?"

"I'm a mess." He told her. "I've been in love twice, and both of them have died. Maybe I don't deserve to be happy."

"Don't say that!" Lydia was shocked that he would even think that. There was silence for a moment between the two.

"You're right," He told her finally. "I was lucky enough to be in love twice. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything." He made eye contact with her for the first time. "Take it from me. Life is too short. You would rather have those moments of being together than wonder 'what if'. Don't waste time."

"I feel like you're speaking in code." Lydia said with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

Scott rolled his eyes, then motioned them toward the group of friends standing around. Lydia turned to look in their direction, and everyone but Stiles and Braeden made brief eye contact, and tilted their heads slightly toward Stiles.

"Werewolf hearing." Scott said. "We can all hear your heartbeats when you're near each other, and you can smell the sexual tension."

Lydia furrowed her brow in curiosity, "Are you being literal or figurative about the sexual tension?"

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Does it matter?" Lydia sighed. "Look," Scott began again. "Stiles has been in love with you for longer than I can remember. And I know that over time, you've started to feel the same way."

Lydia's eyes widened, feeling like she'd been caught in a lie. "Does he-"

Scott shook his head. "He has no clue. Believe me. If he knew how you felt, for how long you've felt it, you two would probably be married by now." Lydia looked back to glance at Stiles again, but saw all the wolves nodding slightly. She wasn't sure if they were nodding at what Scott said, or something that was said in the conversation they were having, but either way it was a little creepy. "Look, just do yourselves a favor and say something. Or...do something. Just, stop dancing around your feelings because if, God forbid, something happens to either one of you, you'll never forgive yourselves if you didn't take that chance."

* * *

"So," Stiles said as they walked inside his apartment. "That was nice. Having the old pack back. Well...parts of it at least." Lydia was walking in front of him and headed to the bedroom. She wanted to get changed out of her funeral clothes as soon as possible. Black was not her color.

"Yeah, it was." She said as she opened the bedroom door and heard Stiles on her heels.

"Hey, what did you and Scott talk about?"

Lydia sucked in a breath, just inside the doorway, and turned to look at him. "Why?"

"Whoa...you look terrified. No reason, I was just curious. You guys talked for awhile."

"Oh..."she said and turned back around. She walked over to the dresser and faced the mirror so she could take her jewelry off. "Nothing, he was just telling me that he was glad to have the time with Kira that he did." Lydia had removed her earrings and began fumbling with the clasp on the back of her necklace. "He said he would rather have those memories, than not." Lydia's hands were shaking and she was struggling with the necklace still. Stiles came up behind her and began to gently unclasp it.

"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." He took the necklace off of her and held it out.

"Tennyson." She said as she opened her palm and Stiles dropped the chain into her hand and she grasped it into a fist. She stared at his face in the mirror, and she could see him making eye contact with her as well.

"Did he...tell you that for any particular reason?" He inched forward a little more. Lydia sat the necklace down on the dresser and spun around to face him. They were so close, Lydia's head was tilted all the way back so she could look into Stiles's eyes.

"Well, there's this guy." She began, her heart speeding up. This was happening. She was going to tell him, and then everything would change, she hoped, for the better. "And he's like...my best friend..." Stiles's mouth dropped slightly, in confusion and shock. Lydia looked down to gain some courage, then looked back up at him. "And I like him a lot." She immediately shook her head. "No, that...that's a lie." Disappointment passed over his face. "I'm in love with him." Her voice broke as tears sprang to her eyes. The disappointment went away and it was back to shock and confusion. "I don't know when it happened. I mean... I guess there's always been this connection between us. I watched him with other girls and he watched me with other guys and neither one of us said anything, but we always found our way back to each other." Lydia looked down and took a deep breath. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Stiles's hand came up to her face and wiped the tear with his thumb. She grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek and leaned into it. "You are my constant, Stiles." She looked back him, his face still showing signs of confusion and shock, but now with a bit of happiness that he was clearly trying to keep hidden in fear this turned out to be some sort of cruel joke or hallucination. She let his hand go and it fell to her shoulder, and his fingertips brushed all the way down her arm, until their hands connected once more and she held onto it. "I am absolutely, positively, 100%, madly in love with you...I just...I hope I'm not too late."

Stiles's hands grabbed onto her waist, and a small gasp escaped her. He lifted her up and sat her on top of the dresser, so that they were now eye level with each other. He kept his hands on her waist as he stepped between her legs. "Do you, have any idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that?" He reached one hand up and tucked her hair behind her ear, and his hand rested on the back of her neck.

Lydia smirked. "Sorry I took so long."

Stiles smiled and pulled her head toward him and crashed his lips into hers. Years of pent up of emotion and passion went into that kiss. And it was good.

* * *

Stiles and Lydia laid next to each other on Stiles's bed, both completely out of breath, bodies glistening in sweat.

"Well..." Stiles began. "That happened."

Lydia nodded, breathing heavily. "Twice." She turned her head to the side to look at him. He felt her her eyes on him and turned his head to look at her as well.

Stiles frowned a moment. "How do you think Kira would feel if she knew that we spent the day of her funeral having sex?"

"Please," Lydia smiled. "She'd love it. She'd ask us why we waited until after the funeral instead of just doing it at the gravesite."

Stiles chuckled. "So, forgive me if I'm rushing into things," He began jokingly. "But do you want to move in with me?" He tried to say it seriously, but he was smiling too hard.

Lydia laughed. "I hate to break it to you, Stilinski, but let's be honest." She threw her leg over him and sat up, straddling him. "This is has never been _just_ your apartment." She smirked, then leaned down to kiss him again.


	3. Because a Vision Softly Creeping

_**10232020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1234 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's Apartment** _

"Okay," Lydia said as she applied her makeup. She was looking into the mirror on the dresser and Stiles had just gotten out of the shower. The bathroom door was still closed."I was just thinking..."

"Uh oh." Stiles said from the bathroom and Lydia rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to ignore that comment." She told him before continuing. "Maybe we shouldn't say anything to them about _us_ yet."

Stiles opened the bathroom door and Lydia turned to look at him. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw him with the towel wrapped around his waist. Prior to a few days ago, they were very careful about boundaries. They knocked on doors to make sure they wouldn't be caught in compromising positions, they stayed in the bathroom until they were fully dressed; but now, they were together, so none of that mattered anymore.

"Why?" He asked her with a furrowed brow.

"Uh..." She tried, but her mind had gone completely blank. Stiles smirked as she struggled to get words out. "Because," She finally continued. "A few reasons. One, we're all still reeling from Kira dying...I don't want to flaunt in front of Scott. Then, there's the fact that there's this creature, and we're still not even completely sure what it is, but it's killed two of our own. I don't want the pack to think our judgments are clouded or that we aren't completely focused on this. Then there's just the fact that I want to enjoy being with you without bringing the entire pack into our relationship.

Stiles nodded. "Okay. Yeah, that makes sense... As long as you're not like...ashamed to be with me..." He tried to say it with a smile, but Lydia heard the actual fear in his voice.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I could never be ashamed of you." She stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips. "Now, get dressed." She told him and hit his chest.

"Is that really what you want me to do?" he asked her, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Lydia sighed. "No. I want you to do the opposite, but we have to get upstairs to Scott's."

Stiles didn't bother knocking on the Scott's door. He knew he would leave it unlocked since they were having a pack meeting about the creature that had killed both Parrish and Kira. Scott, Malia, and Isaac were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, where's Lydia?" Scott asked. Stiles felt his heart speed up and hoped that the wolves (and coyote) hadn't noticed.

"Oh, she uh...couldn't find her shoes. I finally told her I was leaving without her." It wasn't a lie...so why did he feel like it was?

"Well, Derek, Braeden, and Liam are on their way."

"Did someone say my name?" Liam asked as he walked inside and Lydia followed him in.

"Hey, guys." Lydia said.

"So, you found your shoes?" Malia asked.

Lydia sighed. "No. Actually...these aren't the ones I was looking for."

"Or are they?" Stiles said with mock suspicion. "Maybe they Jedi mind-tricked you."

Lydia laughed and shook her head, then hit him playfully. They didn't notice the other four exchanging looks.

Derek and Braeden arrived a few minutes later. They all stood around the table discussing what they knew about the creature. Lydia stood closer to Stiles than she normally did and Stiles was touching her a lot more that he usually did. The new couple didn't realize it though.

"I'm sorry." Malia said, interrupting Scott with a hint of frustration in her voice, but a grin on her face. "But can we _please_ talk about the fact that these two _finally_ had sex!"

Scott and Derek tried to stifle their laughter.

"What?" Stiles asked as he blushed. Lydia bit her lip, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, come on!" Malia taunted. "It's so obvious."

Lydia and Stiles exchanged looks. Lydia sighed. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes." Malia replied.

"Totally." Liam answered as well.

"Definitely." Scott said.

"Oh yeah." Braeden told them.

"Oh God, yes." Isaac added.

"Unbelievably." Derek groaned, happy that somebody had finally said something.

All of the responses came at the same time.

Lydia sighed again. "We were trying to be discreet."

"Well, you weren't doing a good job." Liam told them.

"For what it's worth," Scott began, "I'm really happy for you guys."

Stiles smiled at him. "Thanks."

_**05012021** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1457 hours** _

_**The Clinic** _

Lydia was sobbing. She realized suddenly that she had no idea how she ended up here. No, not here as in Deaton's office. She remembered that. She just couldn't remember how she ended up laying on the cold, hard floor. She didn't know how long she had been there either. All she knew was that her throat hurt from sobbing and her head was pounding.

The bell chimed, signaling the arrival of someone. Was it a patient? Would Deaton have to come in here and forcibly remove her from the ground?

"Deaton, where is she?" She heard Stiles's panicked voice. A fresh wave of tears flooded over her. She was so happy to know he was there, but the sadness hit her all over again like a ton of bricks.

She didn't hear Deaton's response. She just heart footsteps. Heavy. Like he was running.

"Lydia!" He called her name and ran toward her. "Oh my God!" She couldn't tell if it was relief or worry in his voice. Probably a mixture of both. He crouched down on one knee and put a hand on her shoulder. "Deaton wouldn't tell me anything, he just said I needed to get here. He said something was wrong and you know me, I was imagining the worst. And it's not the worst, because you're still alive and whatever it is, we'll get through it." He was rambling at 100 mph. Lydia wanted to laugh. She really did, but she couldn't. "Lyd," He said softly as he stroked her hair out of her face. "Tell me what's going on." She didn't say anything. She didn't know how to start. After a moment or two of silence, Stiles nodded. "Okay, you...you don't have to tell me if you don't wa-"

"No." She croaked out. God, even that little syllable made her throat ache. She slowly sat up, but her head felt so heavy that she immediately collapsed against Stiles's chest and dropped his other knee to catch her.

"Lydia," His voice was shaky. "You're starting to scare me." She looked up at his face. She could see that he had been crying, or trying really hard not to.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "For scaring you." She took a deep breath, choking back sobs. "I want to tell you. I...I _need_ to tell you. If.." Sob."If we're going to..." Another sob. Deep, shaky breath. "If we're going to be together, you need to know."

He took a deep breath, laid his head against Lydia's, and wrapped his arms around her. "Lyd...can you..." He was having trouble getting the words out."Can you just...Just tell me...are you sick?"

Lydia shook her head. "No." Sniff. She felt him release a breath. "Not really." She was quiet for another moment. Stiles readjusted himself, sitting back against one of the cabinets and bringing a knee up on one side and curving his other leg around her as he held her against his chest. "I don't know how to start."

"Why did you go to Deaton's?"

She looked up at him, then searched for his hand with hers. He grabbed it and held it tight. "Please don't say anything until I finish."

"I won't. I promise." He lifted her hand in his and kissed it. Lydia turned away from him, unable to watch his face. Her voice was still shaky and she was still sobbing, but she felt like she didn't have anymore tears left to cry.

She took a deep breath. "I took a pregnancy test. Two of them actually." She felt Stiles tense up. "Neither were conclusive. That's...That's why I came to Deaton." She took another deep breath. She shook her head. "I'm not though...pregnant." She let out another shaky sob. "'That's great', I thought. I mean, at first I was kind of excited, because I mean...we've been friends for so long and..." Apparently her tear ducts had called for reinforcements because they were coming back full force. "And you'd make a great dad." She sobbed out. She cried for a few moments before taking a deep breath and beginning again. "But then, you know...I thought about it and we've only really been together for a couple of months, so really... now wouldn't be a good time." She sniffed. "But it was something that we could talk about in the future." She nodded her head. "We would have talked about it." She closed her eyes and sniffed again, feeling sobs and tears coming back. "But now, there's...there's no point because...because I can't...I can't..." She turned her head and buried it into Stiles's chest, crying as her body convulsed in sobs. She couldn't force herself to finish the sentence, but she knew that Stiles understood. "I can't." Stiles held her tightly, and she felt his chest rise and fall in short spurts, like he was crying too. "I can't." She wasn't sure how long they were in that position. All she knew is that they had both stopped crying by the time Stiles spoke up.

"Did he," His voice broke, and he cleared his throat. "Did he say why?"

She nodded. "Do you remember when Kira died?" She didn't let him answer. "What am I saying? Of course you do...It was only a few months ago." She took a deep breath. "I was leaning over her, holding her hand when it happened. Her body just erupted in foxfire and I was knocked onto my back."

"Yeah, I remember. It took you like two days to come to. Scared the shit out of me."

It wasn't funny, but Lydia couldn't hold back the chuckle that bubbled up in her chest. She took another deep breath. "Yeah...well... He said he suspected it then, but it was too early to tell anything and it wasn't like I was in a relationship at that point. He was going to bring me back in the next couple of weeks to follow up and see if I was healing, but I beat him to it." They sat there for a little while longer. She loved laying her head on his chest, and listening to his heartbeat. It was the most comforting sound in the world. "I'm sorry." She finally said.

"For what?" He asked.

She sighed. "I know how much you want a family."

"Hey, look at me." He lifted her chin and she looked up at him. "What I want... is you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you and knowing that I'm the luckiest guy in the world. You're my family, Lydia. You always will be."

Lydia smiled. "Mr. Stilinski, was that a proposal?"

Stiles raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "No, but it sure sounded like one, didn't it?" He laughed again and so did she. "Believe me," He started again. "When I propose, you'll know it."

"When?"

Stiles smiled and shrugged. "I may or may not have been planning it since the third grade. Luckily for you, it's gone through a few revisions since then. The original idea would have involved a rocket ship to Mars, so..." Lydia laughed. "God, I love your laugh."

She smiled. "I love that you can make me laugh even though this has been the worst day of my life."

"I love making you laugh."

Lydia pulled herself up to kiss his lips. It was soft and sweet. Tender and loving. "I love you." She told him.

"I love you too."

She settled back against his chest again. "For the record," She started. "If it were a proposal..." She felt his heartbeat speed up slightly. "I would've said yes." His heart skipped a beat and smiled against his chest as he held her tighter.

_**01032022** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**2115 hours** _

_**Lydia and Stiles's Apartment** _

Lydia walked into a dark apartment. Candles were lit everywhere and music played softly.

"Stiles?" She called. She took a step and looked down at the rose petals on the floor. Her heartbeat picked up. Either this was a proposal, or it was the most romantic breakup she would ever have.

"Hey." He said as he came out of the bedroom, wiping his hands nervously on his pants.

"What's going on?" She asked him, biting her lip to hold back the tears that were springing to her eyes.

"It's not obvious?" He joked.

She looked around, the candles reflecting in the unshed tears in her eyes. Her gaze landed back on Stiles. He was in a pair of dress pants and a crisp, white dress shirt and tie.

"You look so handsome." She told him and sniffled. "And I look like a mess. I just got home from work," She sobbed. "And it was a really bad day."

"Hey," He cooed softly and brought her into a hug. "Shh..." They stayed in their embrace for several minutes and began to sway back and forth to the music filling the apartment.

By the time Lydia heard him exhale a shaky breath, she had stopped crying. She lifted her head to look into his eyes. "Are you nervous?" She asked him a hint of smile playing at her lips.

"A little." He told her with a small shrug. His hand fumbled for the small box that was in his pants pocket. "I uh..."he began, his voice cracking with a mixture of emotions. I know that there are plenty of people that you would want to call in the next few minutes, but life is cruel... _death_ is cruel. So, for the people that you can't call, I figured they should see it first-hand. So," She hadn't noticed the frames sitting on the counter next to them, but Stiles reached over and flipped them around one by one. Her mom, her grandmother, Kira, then Allison.

Lydia let out another sob as she covered her mouth.

"Thank you." She told him, barely above a whisper.

"Awhile back we talk about family. These women are our family. Some by blood, some by choice. I knew you would want them here. If I could have brought them back for you, I would do it. I would do anything for you, Lydia Martin. You are my partner in so many ways, and I've always felt we've had this connection...This tether. I've loved you since the third grade and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon." He got down on one knee, holding the box in front of him. "I've imagined this moment for a long time..." Lydia was a blubbering mess. "Sometimes I thought it wouldn't happen until much later, but I always knew it would happen eventually. We're endgame." He smirked and Lydia laughed. "So, Lydia Martin, will you-"

"Yes!"

"You didn't even let me ask the question!"

Lydia blushed and laughed lightly as she sniffled. "I'm sorry."

"I mean, I could have asked you if you would take the trash out for the rest of the mon-"

"Stiles!'

He stopped and smiled, popping the box open and taking the ring out. "Will you marry me?"

Lydia knelt down in front of him so that she could kiss him.

"Yes!" He slipped the ring onto her finger with a huge smile on his face and their lips met again.

They heard a "whoop!" come from above them and they broke away from the kiss, laughing as they looked at the ceiling.

"Damn wolf hearing." Stiles shook his head. There was a knock at the door, and Lydia smiled at Stiles before opening it.

"Hey..." Malia grinned with Scott right next to her. "So...we heard the good news. Now, let me see it!" Malia reached for Lydia's hand and Scott gave Stiles a hug.

"I'm happy for you, buddy."

"Thanks. I'm happy too."


	4. Left Its Seeds While I Was Sleeping

_**06242022** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**2023 hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's Apartment** _

Stiles walked up behind Lydia, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned down to kiss her neck.

"Stiles." She giggled. "You have to get off of me. They're going to be here soon, and dinner isn't even close to being ready. Besides, you've been glued to my side all week. I thought you'd want some space."

Stiles groaned. "No, I've been glued to your side all week, and now being away from it for one second is torture." Lydia turned around and patted his chest.

"Oh, my poor baby." She cooed, then smacked his face lightly. "You'll live." She moved past him and toward the small island in the middle of the kitchen. He scoffed.

"Excuse me!" She turned and gave him a smug smile. "You'll pay for that later." He told her as he took a step in her direction.

"Oh, I will, will I?" She smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her back against the island.

"Yeah." He said with a smile and put his hands on her waist again. She got up on her tiptoes and he leaned down, their lips meeting in the middle. As the kiss deepened, he picked her up and sat her on the island. Lydia wrapped her legs around his waist to be rid of any space they had between them. She was beginning to wonder if they had time before anyone got there when they heard a knock on the door.

Stiles gave a frustrated sigh as he pulled away.

Lydia giggled. "Coming!" She called to whoever was on the other side of the door.

"Unfortunately, not." Stiles mumbled as they adjusted themselves, receiving a smirk from Lydia. He went to the door while she went back to cooking.

Scott was there, then several minutes later Derek and Braeden showed up. Malia and Isaac showed up a little after. For awhile there Scott and Malia seemed to be spending a lot of time together, but then Stiles and Lydia's wedding happened and Malia showed up with Isaac, throwing the bride and groom for a loop. The coyote and the wolf insisted that they were just friends, but the rest of the pack questioned it, especially now that they were showing up to dinner at the same time. Sure, they may have driven separate vehicles, but that didn't mean anything.

It wasn't until dinner was in full swing that they found out, although Lydia should have realized something was up when Braeden declined the wine she offered. The banshee had been too busy answering Malia's question about where Liam was. (The answer was on a date.)

"So, how are you enjoying married life?" Derek asked Stiles and Lydia.

"Well, it's only been a week," Stiles started, "But from what I can tell, it's not much different than before. Maybe less stressful, you know, since the wedding is finally over."

"You guys have been married longer than we have," Lydia told them. "What's the biggest difference for you?"

"It's..."Derek started, then smiled widely and turned to Braeden. "Should we tell them?"

Lydia and Stiles exchanged looks. "Tell us what?" Lydia asked, smiling in confusion.

Braeden gave a tiny shrug before announcing, "I'm pregnant."

Lydia's eyes widened in surprise, and tried to keep the smile on her face as she felt like she had been punched in the gut. "Oh...That's great." Stiles grabbed her hand under the table and rubbed his thumb over it.

"Congratulations, guys." Stiles told him, having a far easier time of being happy for the new parents-to-be.

"I'm going to have a new cousin?" Malia asked. Braeden nodded happily. Malia got up and hugged Braeden while Scott and Isaac gave Derek hugs and congratulations.

"We found out the day before the wedding." Derek proceeded to say. "But we didn't want to steal anyone's thunder so we waited until after you got back from the honeymoon."

Lydia nodded and plastered a smile on her face again. "That's great." She repeated as she bit her lip. The conversation then shifted to babies.

"Have you thought of names?"

"Is it just one baby?"

"I'll bet it's twins."

"Boy or girl?"

"What do you want it to be?"

Stiles and Lydia stayed quiet. Stiles was attentively listening as he continued to shovel food in his mouth, but Lydia had started moving the food around on her plate and not actually eating it. Stiles could feel his new wife, slowly falling apart beside him. The grip he had on her hand kept getting tighter until he was almost sure he was cutting off the circulation. Then it happened, the moment they had both been dreading since Braeden's announcement.

"So," Isaac started, turning to the newlyweds. "When are you two going to start having kids?"

Stiles gave a nervous laugh. "Well-"

He heard a sob next to him and Lydia abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." She said quietly before running into the bedroom and slamming the door.

The entire table got quiet, then Scott turned to Isaac. "What the hell, man?" He asked before slapping the back of his head.

"Is she okay?" Braeden asked Stiles.

"Uh...yeah...it's just..."Stiles felt a lump rise in his throat, but he swallowed it back. "Lydia.."He took a deep breath, having a hard time getting the words out. "We haven't told anybody yet...um...she...we...God..." He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "Lydia can't get pregnant."

Braeden covered her mouth, Isaac and Malia just sat in shock. Scott was the first to speak, "Dude, why didn't you tell anybody?"

Stiles shrugged. "It wasn't anybody's business and you would just blame yourself, even though it wasn't anyone's fault."

"Why would I blame myself?" Scott asked. Stiles realized he may have said too much.

"No, it's not import-"

"Stiles!"

"It's because of Kira!" Stiles snapped and the room fell silent once again. Stiles cleared his throat. "I should uh... I should go check on her."

"No," Braeden said, standing up. "Let me."

Lydia was curled up and laying on her bed, tiny sobs escaping her chest. She heard a small knock at her door. "Lydia?" She heard Braeden's voice. The banshee didn't trust herself to talk, but it didn't matter. Braeden opened the door anyway. "Hey," she said softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Stiles told us." She let that statement resonate for a few moments before continuing, "I'm so sorry...if I would have known I wouldn't have announced my news in front of everyone."

"No." Lydia told her and sat up slowly. "It's great news. You should be excited. I'm sorry I brought the mood down." Lydia sighed. "Look, Braeden...I'm going to be honest. I want to be happy for you and Derek, really I do...but I just can't. Not right now...just... give me some time."

"No...no I get it. It's fine. I'll tell you what...I won't talk about baby stuff around you unless you ask me first. Deal?"

Lydia nodded, "Deal."

_**01232023** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1958 Hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital** _

Stiles paced the hospital waiting room anxiously. "Hey!" Lydia said sweetly, but with force. She grabbed his hand to stop him. "Sit down. It's okay."

"Sorry." He apologized and sat down next to her. "Was I pacing again?"

"Yes!" Came the collective announcement from the rest of the pack- the remaining members of the pack at least. Everyone was still in their black attire from Liam's funeral earlier that day. Now, aside from Lydia and Stiles, all that was left was Scott, Malia, and Isaac. Well, them and Derek and Braeden, but those two were a little busy at the moment.

Stiles looked over and the far away expression on Lydia's face. He picked her hand up and kissed it reassuringly. She looked over at him and leaned in to give him a peck on his lips.

"You okay?" Stiles asked her quietly.

Lydia nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Stiles knew better.

"It's okay to be sad." Lydia nodded again, tears brimming her eyes. Stiles placed his arm around her and pulled her into him.

"Thank you for saying that." She told him. "But it's not. It's not okay to be sad on the day two of your best friends are having a baby. What it is, is selfish, and any other day it would be okay to be a little selfish, but not today. "

Suddenly, Derek appeared in the waiting room in a pair of scrubs. Everyone sat up quickly and looked at him expectantly.

"I have a daughter." he announced, choking up a little at the end. They all congratulated him and he let them know that they could come back and meet her.

Braeden was lying on the bed holding the baby when they walked in. Derek sat down on Braeden's right side. Lydia and Stiles stood closest to Derek on the right of the bed, while Malia stood on the left side nearest Braeden. Scott stood next to her while Isaac stood next to him. Malia was the first person to hold her since she was the only actual blood relative there.

"She's beautiful." Malia told them.

"Thank you." Braeden smiled.

"What's her name?" Scott asked.

"Laura Blayke Hale. Laura after my sister, Blayke after Braeden's brother. But I think Laura-Blayke kind of rolls off the tongue."

"Laura-Blayke?" Stiles asked.

"It's a beautiful name." Lydia told Stiles as her eyes narrowed.

"No, I mean...It's pretty. It's just... It's a mouthful. I'm just gonna call her L.B."

Derek chuckled. "Sure, sounds good to me."

Braeden looked at Malia, "Hey, let Lydia and Stiles hold her." Stiles met Malia halfway and took the tiny infant from her then brought her back to stand next to Lydia.

"Hey, L.B." Stiles cooed.

"It's Laura-Blayke." Lydia corrected him as she ran the back of her finger along the baby's smooth skin.

"Derek said I could call her L.B., I'm calling her L.B."

Isaac chuckled. "It sounds like you're saying Elbie. Like E-L-B-I-E."

"Don't give him any ideas." Lydia told Isaac when she saw Stiles's eyes light up.

"Too late." Stiles said with a smirk. He turned to his wife, "Do you want to hold her, Lyd?"

Lydia was about to decline, but the infant's blue eyes popped opened and looked at her expectantly. "Okay." Stiles carefully handed her over to the banshee, but just as he was pulling his hand away, the infant grasped his finger.

"Whoa, she's got quite the grip."

"Guys," Derek started. "Braeden and I wanted to ask you ...we want you two to be her godparents."

Stiles looked at them and asked barely above a whisper, "What?" It looked a little comical having such a serious moment and Stiles standing there with his finger still be held tightly by the baby. Lydia felt tears springing to her eyes.

Braeden spoke next. "We know you guys would make wonderful parents and if anything happens to Derek and I, we want you to take care of her."

"I..."Stiles started. "I don't know what to say."

Derek shrugged. "You could say 'yes'"

"Of course." Lydia finally said. A tear slipped down her cheek and Stiles used his free hand to wipe it away.

"We'd be honored." Stiles told them.

_**07012023** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1323 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's Apartment** _

"Well if you hear from her let me know." Stiles was telling Scott over the phone before he hung up. Stiles was talking to Lydia about what they were going to do for the rest of that Saturday afternoon. They had decided on staying in, cooking dinner, and maybe popping in a movie. Lydia was going to start on dinner while Stiles hopped in the shower (he'd been working on the jeep all morning). When he got out, there was a pot of pasta boiling over, smoke everywhere and Lydia was gone. He tried calling her, but her phone was still sitting on the counter and he had no idea how long ago she had left.

Stiles closed his hand around his phone and propped his forehead on his fist, then tapped his knuckles on the table with his other hand. His phone suddenly began to go off in his hand and answered it without looking at who it was.

"Hello?" He asked hurriedly.

"Stiles!" Lydia said. He voice sounded panicked and Stiles could hear her sobbing.

"Lydia? Are you okay?"

It took her several moments before she finally got it out. "They're dead."

"What?" Stiles said, his stomach dropping. "Who?"

"Derek and Braeden. They're dead."

Stiles felt a panic attack sneaking up on him, but he was able to calm himself back down. "What about the baby?" Stiles asked. "Do you know if she's okay?"

"She's fine. Stiles...please just get here. I'm at their house. I need you."

"I'm on my way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I first started writing _It's Just a Matter of Time_ , I took time to write out Elbie's back story and the middle section of this chapter was basically a copy and paste of the original story. 
> 
> Then, when I started posting it on fanfiction.net, I got a lot of questions asking who Elbie was and who Laura was. It wasn't something I was necessarily trying to keep secret, but then people kept asking. Some people were guessing that Elbie was Derek and Braden's daughter and some people guessed Laura was Lydia and Stiles's child...so I'm curious if you guys figured out they were the same person or if you thought they were two different people. When did you realize they were the same?


	5. And The Vision

_**07012023** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1855 Hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Memorial Pediatric Ward** _

Stiles and Lydia sat in a conference room. They were silent and unmoving. Both of them just sat there thinking.

Stiles was a detective and he had several people in the department that he could trust with supernatural occurrences. Once he had hung up with Lydia, he called a few of them to meet him there. He wasn't sure if it was a supernatural occurrence or not, but he didn't want to take any chances.

When he got there, Lydia was standing outside leaning against the house holding the baby in her arms, and they were both covered in blood.

Stiles couldn't get out of the car fast enough. "Oh my God!" He was running up to them. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She nodded slightly. "This...this isn't my blood." She told him, assuming that's what he was referring to. He touched the baby's head. She was asleep in Lydia's arms. "It's not hers either...it's all theirs."

"Stay here." He told her. She nodded, and he walked inside the house, careful not to step on anything that could be considered evidence. It looked like whoever (or _what_ ever) it was had smashed through sliding glass doors that led to the Hale's bedroom. Derek and Braeden laid on the bed as if they were sleeping, but they were covered in blood. There was so much red that he couldn't tell what had caused the gashes.

The ambulances arrived soon after and Melissa had shown up as well. They gave the baby a once over, but insisted on taking her to the hospital to run more tests, just to make sure. Melissa promised to go with her and keep her safe.

They finished up at the crime scene, and just as they were about to leave, Stiles's phone began to ring.

He didn't recognize the number when he answered. "Hello?" His voice sounded tired.

"Hi, is this Mi-...Ma-...uhhh Mr. Stilinski?"

"Yes."

"Hi. This is Marcie at Beacon Hills Memorial. I'm calling in regards to Laura Hale."

"Wait...what?" Stiles asked as he rubbed his eyes. "Laura Hale died like 10 years ago."

"I'm sorry, I think there's been some confusion. The Laura Hale I'm referring to is an infant. She was brought in this afternoon."

"Oh!" Stiles said, mentally slapping himself. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day."

"It's okay."

'Why are you calling about her? Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine! In perfect health. I'm calling because in these situations we would normally contact Child Protective Services, but one of our nurses here informed us that you are the baby's godfather. We've contacted that Hale's lawyer and she's on her way with a representative from CPS. You and your wife just need to sign a few documents and you can take her home tonight."

Stiles had been slowly walking to the car, but stopped suddenly in his tracks.

"Tonight?"

"Yes. Will that be a problem?"

"No! Uh...we'll be there. Give us a little time, we have to grab a few things."

"Alright. See you soon, Mr. Stilinski."

"Yeah." He hung up the phone and shakily put it back into his pocket.

"Oh no," Lydia muttered. "I know that look, just breathe, Stiles...or.. or hold your breath." He held his breath for a few moments, then slowly let it out. "What''s going on?" She asked him.

"That was the hospital. They said one of the nurses...I guess it was Melissa, but it could have been Isaac... told them we were her godparents. The lawyer and CPS are both on their way. They want us to sign some papers and take her tonight. My guess, is if we don't show up, CPS is going to take her."

"Tonight?! But, we don't...we don't have anything. We don't have a crib, or a car seat or diapers or food."

"Now you can see why I was freaking out."

"I need to change clothes." She continued. Her clothes had been taken by CSU and she was wearing some of Braeden's clothes that had been in her closet. Braeden was taller than her though, so the clothes she was wearing swallowed her whole.

"I already told them it would be a little bit."

Somehow they managed to get everything together. They took her car seat out of Derek's vehicle and figured out how to strap it in to Lydia's car. Stiles gave Scott his key and he and Malia got her crib and toys to bring and set up at the Stilinski residence.

Now, having just spoken to the lawyer and signed the papers, someone had gone to get the baby and bring her back to her new guardians. The couple was told there would have to be a court date set soon to make it all official.

Lydia suddenly stood up from the table. "I don't think I can do this." She said before walking out of the room.

"Wait! Lydia!" Stiles yelled as he ran after her. He stopped her in the hall and put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, we'll get through it."

"How?" Lydia was in tears as she and Stiles stood in the pediatric ward of Beacon Hills Memorial. "I've known for almost two and half years that I couldn't have kids. I've made peace with the fact that we weren't going to. And now, I'm supposed to raise this little girl that isn't even mine. It's just not right."

"No, it's not. " He agreed. "She should be with her parents, but they're gone. And it sucks, but we're all she's got now. They trusted us enough to leave her with us, so we're going to make it work."

A nurse came out holding a six month mocha-skinned, blue-eyed baby girl and handed her over to Stiles.

"Here you go." She smiled.

"Hi, Elbie." He cooed. Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I hate that you call her that."

"That's her name." Stiles said defensively.

"No, it's not."

"Derek liked it." Lydia got quiet. Stiles stared at the baby for a moment as reality set in. "She's ours. It's terrible the way it happened, but she's ours. " Stiles handed the baby over to Lydia and Lydia pressed her lips together and she stared at the infant. "She's your daughter, Lyd."

Lydia shook her head and handed the baby back to Stiles. "No," She sniffled. "She's Braeden's." She turned and quickly walked away, leaving Stiles staring after her.

"Is she okay?" A nurse asked as she walked up to Stiles.

Stiles didn't answer. He didn't know.

_**07082024** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1115 hours** _

_**Stile and Lydia's Apartment** _

Lydia groaned. "Laura-Blayke, will you _please_ work with me here?" Lydia was trying to dress the one and-a-half year-old. It had been a little over a year since Derek and Braeden had died. Lydia was still struggling with the whole motherhood thing, but Stiles had taken to fatherhood like a pro. "God, you're so fidgety." That elicited a giggle from the little girl. Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're just like your father." Elbie pointed her finger toward the open door.

"Dada!"

"Yeah... you hear him don't you?" The little girl tried to flip her body in the direction of the door while Lydia kept trying to re-position her.

"Laura-Blayke..." Lydia sighed. The one year-old continued twisting her body around. Lydia rolled her eyes, "Elbie!" She turned her head toward Lydia. "Seriously? You're only answering to Elbie now? You're one! You're not old enough to choose your name." The small child cooperated in letting Lydia dress her and Lydia shook her head as she picked up the little girl. "I'm gonna kill him." Lydia walked out of the room. Stiles's back was to her as she walked toward him. "Your daughter is picking up on your bad habits. She just-" Lydia finally looked up at him. He was already crying. "What happened? Stiles?" She asked. Stiles's phone was to his ear, having just ended a call. It slipped from his grip and landed on the kitchen floor. His hands were shaking and his breathing was becoming increasingly rapid."Stiles?" she questioned again.

"My...My dad." Stiles choked back a sob. Lydia let out a small gasp and touched Stiles's cheek. "He's gone." The little girl reached out for Stiles and he took her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and he hugged her tightly as Lydia hugged his waist.

"God, Stiles. I'm so sorry." She told him. They stood for several minutes like that. "It'll be okay." She finally spoke again. "I promise."

_**12242024** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**2332 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's House** _

"Alright, she's down." Stiles announced as he walked into the kitchen.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Stiles and Lydia decided to move. They were trying to keep up with mortgage on his father's house (there was too much that they hadn't had time to go through) plus the rent on their apartment. It was around this time that they realized Elbie was growing and the apartment that Stiles had once called a bachelor pad was no longer going to cut it. She would need her own room. So, they moved in to Stiles's old house.

"Okay." Lydia told him. "Give me a second." She was wearing reading glasses and typing something on her laptop.

"What are you working on?" Stiles asked as he leaned over the back of her chair. "Wait, did that say something about M Theory? Isn't that like time travel and parallel universes and stuff?"

Lydia shrugged. "And stuff."

"Lydia, are you trying to figure out how Santa does it?" He asked jokingly. " How he makes around the entire world in one night?"

"Not exactly..."

"Wait, what do you mean _not exactly?_ Does this have _anything_ to do with Santa?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head as she closed her laptop. "No, come on. Let's go bring out the toys."

"No, wait." He stopped her as she tried to move past him. "What are you working on?"

"I'm..." She started, slowly, unsure of how to say it. "I'm researching different theories... for time travel."

"What?! You're serious?"

Lydia took a deep breath. "It's probably not going to go anywhere. I'm just... testing the waters. Trying things out."

"So, you mean, people could go to the future and see what happens to them?"

"No! Going to the future could be catastrophic, for that reason alone. Time travel should only be used to go to the past...and purely for research purposes. Not to change anything." Lydia sighed. "But like I said...it won't go anywhere."

Stiles smiled. "Well, never say never." He stared at her for a moment, in awe, then leaned down and kissed her slowly.

"What was that for?" She asked him when they pulled away.

"Because I'm so proud of you. I married a genius."

Lydia blushed and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Santa. We need to hurry up and get those presents together, otherwise we're going to be so tired in the morning."

"Alright, Mrs. Claus. If you say so."


	6. That Was Planted In My Brain

_**06162025** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1732 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's House** _

Stiles sat on the couch, a two year-old Elbie sitting next to him. He flipped through the channels on the television. "Oh my God! _Star Wars_!" Stiles said suddenly, stopping on that channel as words scrolled up the screen. Elbie looked up at him with a curious expression. "Alright," Stiles began as he looked down at her. "This is one of the greatest cinematic ventures like...ever." Elbie listened intently. "I think two is a good time for you to see it for the first time, don't you?" Elbie nodded. "Good." Stiles sat the remote down and got comfortable. Elbie climbed onto his lap and snuggled up to him. He looked down and smiled then wrapped his arms around her.

Lydia walked in a few minutes later and politely asked, "Laura-Blayke,"

"Shh, Lyds!" Stiles told his wife. "We're watching _Star Wars_."

"You're letting her watch _Star Wars_?"

"Shh, Mama. We watchin' Sta' Wa's."

Lydia glared at Stiles and he widened his eyes and paused the TV. "Uhh... Elbie, you don't get to talk to Mommy like that. Okay?"

"Otay."

"Now, apologize."

"Sowwy, Mama."

"It's okay. Now, Laura-Blayke, will you please go pick up your toys?"

The little girl sighed and climbed off the couch then walked over to Lydia. "My name is Elbie." She said matter-of-factly. Both Stiles and Lydia's jaws dropped. Elbie walked away to pick up her toys and Lydia looked up at Stiles. His jaw was still dropped, but he was smiling. Lydia, however was glaring.

"I swear," Stiles started, "I didn't tell her to do that."

"I know." She rolled her eyes and walked over to the couch to sit down next to him. "God, you two are so much alike, it's incredible that you're not related biologically."

"But she's got your brains." Stiles pointed out.

Lydia sighed. "How is it that we ended up with a little girl who is so much like us and she's not even ours."

"But she _is_ ours. She has been for almost 2 years. We're the only parents she's ever known."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." She told him.

Stiles did know. He knew she meant what she had said first. Lydia loved Elbie as if she was her own, biological daughter. She also nearly cried every time Elbie called her 'Mommy', 'Mom', or 'Mama' because hearing a tiny voice call her that was something she'd thought she'd never hear. But something deep inside Lydia reminded her everyday that she wasn't Elbie's real mother. That title belonged to Braeden.

"So," He began, changing the subject. "Maybe we should just call her Elbie. And only use Laura-Blayke if she's in trouble, or we're serious about something."

Lydia sighed. "I guess I can try it. It's just Braeden named her Laura Blayke. I just don't want to change anymore than we already have." After officially adopting her, her name became Laura-Blayke Hale Stilinski, Hale being her middle name not wanting to get rid of it completely.

"Ahh done!" Elbie announced when she entered the room again. "Sta' Wa's now, Daddy?"

"Yes, Baby. We'll watch _Star Wars_ now." Elbie smiled and ran over to Stiles, jumping onto him. "Oof!" Lydia giggled at Stiles's pained expression. "Maybe mommy will watch with us?" He said after catching his breath. Both Stiles and Elbie turned to Lydia.

She sighed. "Yes, I'll watch with you."

* * *

_**01232026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0716 hours** _

_**Bedroom** _

Stiles could feel a tiny finger poking his face. He kept his eyes closed and tried to not smile.

"Daddy?" He heard a whisper in his ear. "Wake uuuup." He didn't budge. He felt the tiny form crawl onto his chest and sit down, then two tiny hands on his face, slapping lightly on his cheeks. He felt a finger poke his eyelid and push up to open his eye.

He smiled and grabbed her quickly. "What are you doing?!" The little girl squealed and Stiles rolled over and began to tickle her, eliciting giggles from the small child. He finally stopped tickling her and the little girl was breathing heavily. "Good morning, Princess."

"Good morning, King!"

Stiles chuckled. "So, what's new in the kingdom today?"

The little girl made a sour face. "It's raining."

Stiles listened for a moment as he heard the rain hitting the windows. "Ahh, so it is. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Uhhh...nope!"

"Really? Because I feel like there was something special today and I just can't remember what it-"

"My birthday!" She yelped excitedly and giggled.

Stiles feigned a gasp. "Your birthday! That's right! Can I get some... birthday kisses?" The little girl puckered her lips and Stiles kissed all over over her face which only elicited more giggles from the tiny child. "Happy birthday, angel."

"Thank you. I'm three!" She proudly held up three fingers.

"I know! You're getting so big!" She smiled. "Do you know what else is today?"

"My party!"

"And that means you get to see Aunt Malia and Uncle Scott!"

"Yay!" Her celebration was cut short by loud clap of thunder. She gasped loudly and covered her ears. Her lower lip stuck out and Stiles knew what was coming.

"Oh, hey," He said soothingly, "Come here." The little girl cuddled up next to him. "The thunder can't get us in here. You know why?" She shook her head. "Because I'm here, and I won't ever let anything happen to you."

She laid her head down on Stiles's chest and he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame.

"I love you, Daddy."

Stiles took a deep breath, savoring this moment like he had done with many others in her short life.

"I love you too, Elbie."

The door to the bedroom opened and Lydia walked in. "Hey, just making sure you guys were up."

"Come lay down, mommy!" Elbie said cheerily to the banshee.

"Yeah, mommy." Stiles said. "Come lay down."

Lydia walked over and three of them laid down for awhile just being a family.

"I'm hungry." Elbie announced after several minutes.

"Well, what do you want to eat, Birthday Girl?" Lydia asked her.

"Hmmm..." She put her finger to her chin as if in deep thought. Then she shrugged. "I don't know."

"What if..." Stiles began. "I make you chocolate chip pancakes?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah!" She yelled then bounced on the bed. He'd made them once a few weeks before for the first time and she'd been asking for them every day since. Lydia had asked why he decided to make the pancakes. Stiles told her that he remembered Derek loved chocolate chip pancakes. He figured since Elbie was the former alpha's daughter, she may like them too. He was right.

* * *

_**10262026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1425 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's House** _

Stiles was at the kitchen table on his laptop when Lydia walked in.

"She's down for her nap." She told him. Stiles nodded. Lydia placed her hand on his shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

"I think we need to move."

Lydia froze. "What?"

Stiles brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. "Everyone is dead or gone. There's no reason to be here anymore."

Lydia took her time playing this over and over in her head. "Okay." She finally said.

Stiles raised his eyes. "Really?"

Lydia nodded. "Really. You're right. All that matters is that we're together and getting out of Beacon Hills would be the safest place for us." Stiles nodded as he felt tears spring to his eyes. "Hey," Lydia said softly and stroked his cheek. "I know it's hard."

"I feel like moving is just running away. Scott wouldn't have run away. It's almost like an insult to his memory."

Lydia shook her head. "No. Scott would want us to be safe. He'd want Elbie to stay safe. If he were here, he'd be telling us that this was a good idea. Hell! He'd probably help us move!"

Stiles chuckled. "You're probably right."

Lydia smiled, giving him a few minutes to calm down. "So, where were you thinking?"

"I was thinking...maybe San Francisco?"

Lydia smiled. "That sounds perfect."


	7. Still Remains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don't know if I've said it here before, but I live in Orlando. I originally posted this chapter a day or two after the shooting at Pulse, and part of it was written that Sunday after hearing about it all day long, and waiting to see if I recognized any names on the victims list. While I didn't, I knew people that did. 
> 
> If you've been paying attention to the dates and have read _It's Just a Matter of Time_ , then I think you can tell what's coming next. This chapter is difficult to read and it may have to do with the fact that I was in such a somber mood when it was written that makes it 10 times worse, but you have been warned.

_**10312026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1515 Hours** _

_**Stiles and Lydia's House** _

Lydia opened the front door and Elbie ran past her and straight into Stiles's arms. He had just gotten home from work and was about to head to the kitchen when he heard Lydia's car, so he waited for them to come in.

"Are you ready to put your costume on?" Lydia asked the little girl.

"Hold on." Stiles said, still hugging her. Elbie hugged him tighter, somehow at three years old, knowing that her dad needed a little extra loving. After a few more moments, he put her down. "Alright, go get dressed."

The little girl ran down the hall and Lydia wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "Tough day?"

Stiles nodded. "We finally found that missing child." Stiles took a deep breath. "He washed up on Beacon Beach this morning."

"Oh my God." Lydia said sympathetically.

"I had to tell his parents. I just... I can't imagine being on the receiving end of that news. I mean... I've been on the receiving end of a lot of bad news, but if something happened to Elbie I..."

Lydia leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. "I know. Let me go help her." Lydia went towards Elbie's room. Stiles hadn't seen her costume yet. When they asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she told them a werewolf. Stiles and Lydia had exchanged looks, then quickly asked her to come up with something else. A few days later she had come up with a new idea and told Lydia, asking her not to tell Stiles. So Lydia stayed quiet. Which of course made him all the more curious.

A few moments later, Lydia and Elbie came back down the hall. The little girl was in an outfit that looked similar to what Stiles was wearing. She had had on dress pants and a nice button up shirt. She wore a tie and was holding a detective badge sticker in her hand.

"I'm you!" She announced happily to her dad. Stiles felt tears of pride welling up in his eyes. "Do you like it?" She asked hesitantly, apparently having seen the tears in her dad's eyes and thinking they were bad.

"I love it." He told her and knelt down in front of her. She hugged him again and then handed him the badge sticker.

"Will you put it on me?"

"Of course!" He said as he took the sticker from her. He peeled the back off and placed it on her chest, which she puffed out proudly.

"Oh," Lydia began. "Elbie, did you want to show Daddy the picture you drew?"

Elbie shook her head 'No.'

"No?" Stiles asked. "Why not?"

"My teacher spelled my name wrong."

"How did she spell it?"

Elbie shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, can I see?"

Elbie nodded and went to grab the picture out of her backpack.

At the top it read 'My mommy and daddy' with stick figures drawn underneath. At the bottom was the name 'Laura.'

"See?" Elbie pointed to the name. "It doesn't look the same." She pointed to a picture of her hand prints on the wall that said 'Elbie.'

"Well, you're right." Stiles told her. "This says 'Laura'."

Elbie groaned. "But that's not my name!"

Stiles smiled. "Well, your name _is_ Laura. We just call you by a nickname."

"What?"

"Do you know what my name is?"

"Daddy."

Stiles laughed. "Yes, but what does mommy call me?"

Elbie thought about it. "Stiles."

"Right! But Stiles is my nickname, because my real name is really hard to pronounce, but if somebody called me by my real name, that doesn't mean it's not me. Does that make sense?"

Elbie nodded. "So I'm Elbie _and_ Laura _and_ Laura-Blayke."

"Yep."

"And I have a nickname just like you?" She smiled.

"Just like me."

"Good."

"Awesome, let's put this picture up on the refrigerator, then we can go trick-or-treating."

"Okay!"

* * *

**_11042026_ **

**_Beacon Hills, Ca._ **

**_2231 Hours_ **

**Stiles and Lydia's house**

Stiles was laying in Elbie's bed. She had woken up about 45 minutes prior after having a bad dream. Normally, Stiles would have to lay down with her until she fell asleep again, which is what he was doing. She had already fallen back asleep, but he was making sure she wouldn't wake up. When he was sure she was down for the count once more, he carefully got out of the bed and walked back to his and Lydia's room.

When he walked in, he saw Lydia sitting next to a box.

"What are you doing?" He asked out of curiosity.

Lydia turned back to him, tears in her eyes and confusion on her face. "I could ask you the same thing. What are these?" She held up pictures of their friends. Stiles's handwriting was all over them, along with random sticky notes stuck to some of them.

Stiles sighed. "I was trying to find a pattern."

"Stiles," Lydia began as she stood up. "There's no pattern. Bad things happen sometimes. They all died in different ways by different supernaturals."

"I know." He nodded. "That's why I stopped looking into it." He took a deep breath. "I just.. I can't shake the feeling that they're all related somehow."

Lydia bit her lip. "Well... if they are, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're the one who always figures it out."

Stiles gave her a sad smile and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yeah...although, I'm at my best when you're helping me."

Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, Mr. Stilinski...if you wanted my help, all you had to do was ask."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He asked her.

Lydia acted like she was thinking about it. "Hmm...maybe once or twice."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too... and if there's something to figure out, we'll do it together."

* * *

_**11132026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

**_1823 hours_ **

**_Stiles and Lydia's House_ **

"Mommy, come here!" Elbie called from her room. Lydia exchanged looks with her husband whom she was sitting beside on the couch.

Stiles smiled at her and Lydia rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. As she went to stand up, Stiles quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her. She flopped back down onto the couch and he quickly captured her lips in his.

"What was that for?" Lydia asked as she pulled away from him.

"Because I love you."

Lydia smiled. "I love you too." She was still sort of confused as to what brought that on, but she wasn't going to argue.

"Mommy!" Elbie called again.

"Coming!" Lydia called back and stood up again, this time able to go back to her daughter's room.

"I can't do it!" Elbie told Lydia as she lifted a naked doll in the air with one hand the doll's dress in the other. Lydia smiled and sat down with her and showed her how to put the dress on. She heard voices coming from the living room, but assumed it was the television.

Until she clearly heard the words "McCall pack" and it wasn't her husband's voice.

"Elbie," Lydia started, quietly. "Stay in here, please. I'll be right back."

"'Kay, mama."

Lydia's heart began to beat faster as she slowly tiptoed her way back down the hall.

"So, is Lydia still your wife?" She heard the foreign voice ask. She finally reached the end of the hall. Stiles stood in front of her talking to a man that she didn't know. He was about the same age as them.

"Stiles?" She questioned. Stiles's eyes widened in horror as he saw Lydia standing there.

The man turned to the banshee. "Oh, well that answers that question. I guess some things never change." Lydia searched her husband's eyes and found only fear.

"Lydia," Stiles began quickly, "Get out of here!"

"What's happeni-" And for the first time, she saw a glint of silver in the man's hand. Lydia's eyes locked on the dagger. The guy looked down at it and then looked back up with a sickening smirk on his face.

"Oh, this old thing?" He began as he flipped it around in his hand to give it a look. "I found it in the 1800s." Then he chuckled. "Yeah, not sure if you're working on it right now, but time travel was made possible by you, Lydia. Which means, it's thanks to you, I was able to fix the timeline so that your entire pack died. Which serves you all right because you ruined my life." He got angrier as he neared the end of his speech. He shrugged. "And now I'm going to ruin yours." He took a step in Lydia's direction, but Stiles quickly grabbed the guy's shoulder. He whirled around stabbing Stiles in the gut.

Time froze for a moment as Lydia processed what she had just seen. Stiles wore a pained expression and something told her that it wasn't just from the pain of the knife in his stomach.

"Stiles!" She screamed, as tear fell down her husband's cheek and the light in his eyes went out.

The man removed the dagger and turned to Lydia. Stiles fell to the ground, as Lydia stood with her mouth open, a silent scream sitting in the back of her throat.

"Daddy?" Elbie's small voice said from her room. The man cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed in Lydia's direction. He took a step forward and Lydia threw her hands up and screamed. The man flew backward and hit his head on the coffee table.

There was a loud crack as his neck broke, but then Lydia heard the sound of little feet coming down the hall. She turned around.

"Go back to your room and stay there!" She caught Elbie's eyes and the little girl ran back. Lydia took a few steps toward Stiles who was laying on the ground, blood soaking his shirt. She knelt down next to him and with a shaky hand, closed his eyes, then she crumpled on top of him and sobbed into his chest.

He was gone.

How had this happened? She'd felt no predictions...she just felt... broken. She actually physically pinched herself hoping she would wake up from the nightmare that had just occurred in front of her.

She didn't. It was real.

One by one the pack members had fallen. It had been just her and Stiles.. now it was just her.

"I'm going to fix this, Stiles." She whispered. "This is my fault and I'm going to fix it. I'm going to bring you back. I'm going to bring you all back."

Lydia sat there for awhile before realizing she needed to move the bodies, but she couldn't call just anyone. She ran through the list of who they would normally call in the past. Deaton had met his fate earlier in the year, Melissa left Beacon Hills after Scott's death, Parrish had been taken off that list years before, and thank God Noah was already gone because losing his son would have killed him for sure. There was one person that she finally realized she could call. She pulled out her phone, and was scrolling through the names when she heard the pitter-patter of feet in the hall. She couldn't move fast enough she was running to edge of the hall just Elbie appeared around the corner.

"Laura-Blayke, go back to your room." She tried to sound stern, but her voice broke. It was too late.

"Daddy?" Elbie's bottom lip quivered.

"Go, back to your room." Lydia said again. Elbie turned around and ran back. Lydia collapsed again the wall in sobs as she found the name she was looking for and hit 'call.'

"Lydia?" They answered.

"Chris, I need your help." She said through tears.


	8. Within the Sound of Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the prequel! Later tonight I'll post the first chapter of the sequel! 
> 
> Also, the last section of this chapter was originally written for chapter 25 of IJAMOT, but I cut it and ended up using it here. So if it reads a little odd, that's why... because I didn't change anything about it.

**_08162028_ **

**_Beacon Hills, Ca._ **

_**1342 Hours** _

**_Beacon Hills Cemetery_ **

Lydia held her five year-old daughter's hand as they stood in front of her late husband's grave. Elbie let go of her mother's hand and sat down in front of the tombstone and began a very animated one-sided conversation.

Lydia couldn't watch.

Instead, she let her mind wander to the past two years. When she spoke to Chris Argent the day Stiles died, he had instructed her to pack up the car and leave, implying there wouldn't be a house to come back to. He told her to bring all of the important things with them, and maybe to bring some of Stiles's clothes so that if she was questioned, she could explain that he was supposed to be meeting them wherever it was they were heading to.

She went to San Francisco. That's where they were talking about moving to anyway, and it only felt right. The story would be that they were taking a few days away to house hunt and Stiles was supposed to be meeting them after work.

Chris staged a break-in and set a fire. When the police spoke to her about it, they told her there was only one body found and they could only assume it was her husband. Chris later explained that it was the unknown kid whose body they found, and assured her that Stiles's body was safe.

Chris, Lydia, and Elbie held a funeral in Beacon Hills, knowing he would want to be buried next to his parents. Melissa was invited, but she couldn't bring herself to return to the town that had caused her so much pain. Once Lydia received the pay out from Stiles's life insurance policy, she used part of the money to purchase an apartment. The other part was put away into a college fund for Elbie.

They'd searched for apartments for several days, before coming upon the place they currently lived. She walked in and saw the view and immediately knew that Stiles would love it. They didn't have to search anymore after that.

"Lydia?" She heard from behind her.

Lydia turned to face the brunette walking toward her. "Cora," She smiled. "Thank you for doing this."

"She's my niece. It's not like I would make you beg. I'm happy to take her." Lydia nodded. They were silent for a few moments as they watched Elbie continue her conversation. Lydia had decided that the little girl needed one last talk with her dad before Cora took her back to England, where she lived with her new husband. "Lydia," Cora said after a while. Lydia turned to look at her. "You're her mom. You'll always be her mom. And you'll visit us, and she'll visit you, and you'll Skype. But, you're right. This is the best thing for her."

Elbie was only five, but her werewolf side was starting to become apparent. Lydia had no idea how to raise a werewolf by herself- she could barely raise her as a human.

After a tearful goodbye, Lydia stayed behind. "So," she directed to the tombstone. "I guess you saw that. I know that Cora said I was doing the right thing, but if you were here, I wouldn't have had to. You've always been so much better with supernatural stuff than me. You would have known what to do. I'm just...I'm at a loss."

* * *

**_03202043_ **

**_San Francisco, Ca._ **

**_1032 Hours_ **

**_Lydia's Lab_ **

Lydia was entering the last of the coordinates when her daughter sighed.

"Are you sure about this?" Elbie asked.

She had returned to America for good about five years before when she was fifteen. She brought back the accent as well. Lydia hated it, but she _was_ Stiles's daughter, even if not biogically. From time to time, she thought about what Derek would say about having a child with Stiles's personality.

He would have hated it.

Lydia imagined that Elbie would have still spent a lot of time at their place because her and Derek's personalities would have clashed.

"Am I sure about what? Am I sure that the coordinates and times I researched are right? 90%. Am I sure that succeeding will fix everything? 75%. Am I sure that I'm willing to risk my life for that 75%? 100%. If I can bring them back, I have to try."

Elbie's return to America was brought on by Cora and her husband's death. Lydia still remembered the frantic call she had received from Elbie about a hunter that had caught up with them. Lydia got her a plane ticket and when they got home from the airport, they snuggled together in the same bed-something they hadn't done since Elbie was 5.

"Why can't I go with you?"

"Because it's dangerous."

"Which is exactly why you need me!"

When Lydia began researching in her lab, she decided to go by her maiden name of Martin. She liked her privacy and Martin was a more common name than 'Stilinski.' Then when Elbie came back, Lydia had just been granted permission to hire someone to work with her. Elbie was perfect for the job, but it would seem strange if everyone knew she hired her daughter. Luckily, Elbie still went by 'Stilinski', so they came up with a cover story that Elbie graduated high school early (which was the truth), and after someone else in the lab saw them carpooling, they added that they became roommates shortly after Elbie was hired. Elbie just had to call her mother, "Lydia" around the office.

"Elbie!" Lydia yelled sharply. "Stop arguing with me on this. If anything happened to you I would never forgive myself. And if this doesn't work, and I end up back here and nothing has changed, I'm going to need you."

"But _I_ need _you_." Tears brimmed her eyes. "What if something happens to you and you don't come back?"

"Then you'll figure something out. You are your father's daughter. You always figure it out. " Elbie smiled half-heartedly. "Hey, I love you. You know that, right?" Elbie nodded. "Come here." Lydia hugged the girl tightly, and Elbie held onto the banshee as if her life depended on it.

They pulled away from each other and Elbie sniffed. "Be careful."

"I will be." Lydia grabbed the canvas bag and draped it across her body and held the device in her hand. She was already dressed in proper attire for her first jump, and had a few outfit changes inside of her her bag. "See you in a minute." She joked, something she always told Elbie before one of her jumps. Lydia smiled, but Elbie couldn't.

* * *

_**060813** _

_**Ancient Rome** _

_**1150 Hours** _

_**Just Outside of the City** _

Lydia had originally decided on noon as being the time to jump to, but she changed her mind last minute as she was entering the coordinates and times. She landed and immediately put her device away and started walking toward town. After doing extensive research on everything, she knew she could probably find Aeliana at the temple. She headed that way and upon arriving, she stood back. No one was there that she could see.

Suddenly there was a hand on her back and she froze.

"Hello," said a male voice, in English. "You don't seem to belong here." Heart pounding, Lydia turned around. "My name is Apollo. We should talk."

He led her inside the temple and Lydia felt herself about to break down. She had prepared for so much, getting caught five minutes in was not something she had planned for.

"Please don't kill me!" She begged as he brought her into a small room.

"Kill you? My dear girl. I don't want to kill you. I just want to know why you're here."

"I'm trying to save someone's life. Her name is Aeliana." Apollo made a face of recognition. "You know her?"

He nodded. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know." She told him honestly. "There are lots of stories."

"What's you're name?"

"Lydia."

"Why are you trying to save her, Lydia?"

She bowed her head. "My friends are-" She was interrupted by a door opening and a man with two faces walked in. Lydia tried not to stare.

"Oh! Janus, meet our new friend, Lydia. Lydia, this is Janus." Lydia nodded in his direction. "You were saying?"

"Um..." Lydia began as she tried to get back on track. "My friends are dead. A man claimed responsibility for it. He said he used time travel to change events that ended up in everyone dying. Aeliana's death is one of those events that he triggered."

"Your plan is to travel through time to right his wrongs?" Apollo asked. Lydia nodded. He turned to look at Janus and Janus closed his eyes.

"You are missing someone."

"Yeah, I'm missing a lot of people! I just told you... all of my friends died!"

Janus shook his head. "You will not succeed on your own. You need your partner."

"My partner? You mean Stiles?" Janus nodded. Lydia took a breath as she tried not to be angry. "I told you. He's dead. He died 17 years ago...Well...for me. Technically, I guess it's 2013 years from now."

"You need him." He repeated.

"You don't think I feel the same way? Why do you think I'm doing this?"

"What I believe Janus is trying to say," Apollo stepped in. "Is that the only way for you to succeed in saving your friends is for the two of you to work together." Lydia looked to Janus, who nodded at Apollo's interpretation. Lydia looked as if she was about to scream, so Apollo quickly added, "We need to find a way for both you to be here."

Lydia took a deep breath. "I don't know how to-"

"It worked." Janus said suddenly to Apollo.

"What? What worked?"

Apollo smiled at Lydia. "They're here."

* * *

_**061013** _

_**Ancient Rome** _

_**1543 Hours** _

_**Roman Temple** _

Apollo sat across from Janus and watched the two-faced (and by two-faced he meant he literally had two faces, not that he acted differently around other people) god as he seemed to be in a sort of trance. A door suddenly swung open and a woman barged in.

"What the hell is happening?" She demanded to know. "I was disappearing and _not_ in a good way."

Apollo didn't look away from Janus as he said, "Is there a good way to disappear?"

She huffed. "I mean, it didn't feel like everything was going back to normal. It felt like things were falling apart even more."

"The boy died." Janus stated bluntly, still in a trance.

Her breath caught in her throat. "What?"

"He's fine now." Apollo told her reassuringly.

She noticed that her hands were shaking as were her breaths. "You said..." She started, and anger began to bubble up inside of her, "This was the only way. It had to be both of us."

"It is. You would have died by yourself." Janus told her. "There was no scenario in which you would have survived."

"But you just said that _he_ died, and believe me, there's no scenario in which I would _choose_ to live my life without him."

"You keep each other alive, Lydia. He's saved your life and you've saved his. You're the reason he's alive now."

Lydia shook her head as tears burned her eyes. "No, I'm the reason he's dead."

Apollo finally broke his gaze away from Janus and turned to look at Lydia. "It's been 17 years, Lydia."

"And it doesn't get any easier." She took a deep breath. "And why did you tell them that they wouldn't succeed?"

"Because there is only one scenario that can change everything, and only they can make it happen. And when they were here, I didn't think it would be possible."

"And now?"

Janus tilted his head. "The odds have increased."


End file.
